D&D: Five Ways Not to Die in the Dead of Winter
Dungeons & Dragons might not have the most robust exploration system in the world. But the cold can still absolutely kill you dead.
Winter has been the mortal enemy of many a human. From would-be conquerors who never learned about when to start a war in Russia, to explorers who hoped to find the poles. And while D&D doesn’t have the most robust survival/exploration rules. It does have one thing going for it. The cold can absolutely kill you dead if you’re not prepared.
But that’s why we’re here. Here are five ways not to die in the dead of winter in D&D.
Armor or Ring of Cold Resistance
As is usually the case in D&D, there’s a magic item that handles most of the problems handily. With Armor of Cold Resistance or a Ring of Cold Resistance, you become immune to the harshest of winter’s effects. In extreme cold, you automatically succeed at the hourly save not to gain a level of exhaustion. And in 5th Edition, that’s great. Because the more levels of Exhaustion you are, the easier it is to keep gaining them until you drop dead.
But all you need is to be resistant or immune to cold damage and you don’t even have to play. Of course, finding these magic items can be tricky.
Know an Outlander
But you never need to worry too much about the weather if you’re an Outlander. The background might be going away in whatever comes after 5th Edition. But for right now, this background hands down short circuits most of the environmental challenge rules. And while this won’t protect you from the extreme cold directly, it does ensure that you can always find shelter. And food and water. All of which you’ll need to stave off those lethal levels of exhaustion.
Staff of Frost
While wielding this staff, you gain resistance to cold damage. But you also gain the ability to turn the icy death of winter into your ally, using the staff to cast spells like Wall of Ice, Ice Storm, Fog Cloud, or Cone of Cold.
Rod of Security
If you really want to go for broke, then a Rod of Security is your friend. This magic item transports you and up to 199 of your best friends to an extraplanar paradise of your own creation. While there, everyone not only regains hit dice, but they also have enough food and water to sustain them while within. You’ll still have to deal with the effects of the weather once the allotted time of 200 days is divided by the number of creatures present passes.
Cold Weather Clothing
Introduced in Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, Cold Weather Clothing also makes you automatically succeed on saving throws vs. extreme cold. Meaning that for 10 gold pieces, you can ignore the mounting cold of winter, without having to rely on your DM to dole out magic items specifically to keep you alive.
